The Adventures and Mishaps of Ganondorf Dragmire
by sasha the wren bird
Summary: Ever read Wicked by Gregory Maguire? This is a Wicked-style account of the events of Ocarina of Time. Follow perspectives of Ganondorf, the seven sages, and Princess Zelda as the events truly unfolded. Discover how the Triforce was given with a price With wisdom comes sorrow, with courage comes pride, and with power comes abuse. LoZ (c) Nintendo.
1. The Birth of a King Pt 1

**A/N: Please note that this is a Wicked-style account of the events of Ocarina of Time, Wicked by Gregory Maguire. The Legend of Zelda is copyright Nintendo, as well as the following characters and names:**

**Ganondorf  
Koume  
Kotake  
Twinrova  
Hyrule  
Gerudo  
Hylian  
Castle Town  
Link**

**My original characters include:**

**Ezerella  
Link of the North  
Wrana (although I did not invent the appearance of the horse)**

**Thanks, and enjoy!**

The people of the Gerudo desert were, as the Hylian people of Castle Town took pleasure in naming them, cultural mutts. Only the pure Gerudos were female, which made for a terrible design flaw in their race; thus the dark-skinned fiery-haired desert women had to make do with the Hylian and human travelers that wandered into the sandy region and lost their way in the swirling dust. The people of Hyrule often clung to the stereotype that the Gerudo women captured their male counterparts, did their business, and then exiled the men into the hot, dry desert for them to wander helplessly to their deaths with no food or water. The validity of these stereotypes was questionable, since not many people dared venture anywhere near the Gerudo Desert who hoped to live to tell the tale.

Of course it wasn't their fault that the pure Gerudo population consisted mostly of women; their elders and soothsayers claim that an ancient evil cursed their race to die out gradually and miserably, providing them with one male descendent every hundred years. The Gerudo made do, however, living resignedly with the mix of desert people and Hylian.

Years went by and Gerudo was no longer a term for a race, but for a people. Pure Gerudo simply did not exist anymore, and the term was attached to the city outside the desert, not the race. The Gerudos had to settle with being called Hylians.

Ezerella often dreamed that she would be swept away by a Hylian prince straight from the courts of the King Daltus in Hyrule Castle. It was rumored that he had a son, and Ezerella's heart leapt at the news. But years went by and no such handsome knight appeared in the midst of the Gerudo Desert.

The Gerudo maiden had shockingly red hair with deep brown skin and amber-colored eyes. Her looks were not above par, but not below it either, and she didn't even have the fighting spirit of the Gerudo warriors. Upon refusal to take up in the Gerudo warrior fleet, Koume Dragmire, the tribe's leader at the time, positioned her as a sentry atop one of the many looming towers. It was Ezerella's one and only job to spot intruders as soon as they crested the horizon and swiftly inform Koume.

For a young girl with such imagination and a tendency toward romanticism, Ezerella found the task incredibly boring. She stood alone at the top of a shaded tower, gazing at the soaring turrets of Hyrule Castle. She imagined the city beneath it, Castle Town, bustling with handsome men, slender women, playful children with their toys and games. There was certainly nothing wrong with her Gerudo heritage; she had a mother and sister whom she loved dearly and would not leave for the world. But her heart ached for something beyond the sentry tower, something beyond the sedentary lifestyle that was assigned to her.

Although Ezerella had no idea what caused her inattentive stupor, it was clear that her daydreaming caught her up in some sort of fantastical reverie just as a lone traveler made his way across Hyrule Field, a steed of deep ebony bringing him closer and closer to the mountains bordering the desert. His hair was of a shimmering silver that flashed white in the glare of the sun, but his handsome features suggested he was in his twenties at least. The traveler's cloak around his shoulders was a deep royal cobalt, covering a tunic of blue and gold. His boots were made of dodongo leather, bleached a pale brown from years of exposure to sunlight. But his most striking accessory, which brought Ezerella straight out of her reverie, was a white feather tucked into a band around his head, so large and wispy that Ezerella was sure it had to have belonged to one of the ancient Loftwings of the Goddess Hylia. It was also this feature that stopped her from immediately sending word to Koume about the traveler's presence, and was caused her to climb down from the sentry tower and rush over to the main gates herself.

"Just where do you think you're off to?" another guard shouted as she pushed by. She gave no reply, walking swiftly through the marketplace and across the main bazaar's dusty center. When she finally reached the main gates, open during the day, the traveler had already covered an impressive distance and was passing through the mountainous ridge. Ezerella spun around to cast an anxious glance at the guards pacing the main bazaar, who hadn't yet noticed the encroaching horseman. Her mind raced. She couldn't temporarily steal a horse from the stables without being noticed, but she couldn't run out into the open valley to meet with a strange traveler bearing crests dissimilar to that of Hyrule. Was he from a bordering country, one that Ezerella had only heard faint whispers about from the wanderers that the Gerudo women took in?

Without thinking, the sentry tied her facial sash around her mouth and nose to keep sand out of her breath and rushed outside the Gerudo walls. Growing up she had never had the chance to practice the stealth magic most of the warriors knew, but she made do with the billowing sands to conceal her. The horseman had already made it past the ridge and was slowing his steed, who was finding the shifting sands difficult. Dismounting, Ezerella noticed a bundle of saddlebags strapped to the horse's load. Perhaps the traveler had been looking for a place to stay.

Ezerella wasn't even sure why she had been determined to hide the wanderer's presence, but she hurried over to him nonetheless. As the sandy wind thinned out by the base of the mountains, she could see his face more clearly. His eyes were the pale blue of the sky and his facial features were so strikingly handsome Ezerella couldn't look away. The man gave her a polite smile and curt nod.

"Hello," he said, voice deep and yet soft. "Are you a member of the Gerudo tribe?"

Ezerella nodded. "Our leader is very strict on visitors," she said. "You must follow me."

The stranger grabbed his horse's reins and encouraged it through the sand as he followed Ezerella down a side path around the tribe's walls. "What is your name?" he asked.

Everything in Ezerella's common sense told her to keep silent until they reached the inner city. But her heart seemed to stop for this mysterious man and she couldn't keep her mouth shut. "Ezerella Loradire," she answered quietly. "I am a sentry of the Gerudo."

The man nodded. "I am Link of the North," he said in response.

Although Ezerella's expression remained stoic, she smiled inwardly. The name was so common among the Hylians that it had even bled into the Gerudo; some women had named their children Linka after the legendary Hero of Time.

"This here is Wrana," Link said, patting his horse's flank with a charming tenderness. "She was my father's before mine, and has served me well."

Ezerella glanced sideways at the mare's beautiful black pelt and ochre eyes. In the sunlight, the horse's irises almost glimmered a ruby red.

"She can stay in the stables during your stay," said Ezerella.

"May I ask where we are going?" Link questioned.

"If you want to avoid an endless trial on whether or not the Gerudo can trust you, Link of the North, we have to enter inconspicuously. Luckily my quarters are near the city wall so I know of many secret entrances."

"Don't you think it unwise to show a stranger in through a secret entrance?"

Ezerella cast Link an apprehensive look, which almost immediately melted into a compassionate one at the stranger's friendly, welcoming gaze. "I don't need a trial to know that I trust you."

"Bold," Link responded, a smirk on his lips. "How exactly will I sneak Wrana into the city?"

"I will take care of that." The two quieted while journeying through the sandy wind just outside the Gerudo walls. Ezerella was almost surprised that other sentries hadn't yet noticed them, but she didn't ask any questions and continued onward. Once they reached a section in the wall where two or three bricks seemed loose, they stopped. "There's a secret door here," she called over the roaring winds. Kicking along the ground toward the wall, the bricks pushed inward to reveal an intentionally-placed entrance into the back alleys of the lower class quarters. They stepped inside and Ezerella quickly reclosed the entrance. "Leave your horse here," she whispered. "No one will find her. I will take her to the stables once we get you situated."

Link followed the Gerudo sentry through the twisting corridors and up several flights of ornate stone staircases until they reached a room with the name "Loradire" inscribed on the door. Ezerella pressed a stone from around her neck into the door handle and it opened, revealing a quaint, single-room apartment with a small hearth in the center and a bedroll off in one corner. "Wait here while I see to your horse," Ezerella said authoritatively.

"If you are in possession of any carrots, they are her favorite," Link said with a smile.

Ezerella nodded, and the smallest of smiles perked her lips before she turned away to retrieve Wrana.


	2. The Birth of a King Pt 2

**A/N: Zelda is copyright Nintendo. It gets a bit spicy toward the end, so keep your eyes open for anyone you might not want reading. :)**

Ezerella could not explain the events of the following days, weeks, months. When she had brought Link's horse to the stables, she had stripped her of reins, saddle, and to the best of her ability, shoes. She told the stableman that the mare had been found galloping from the Field toward Gerudo Valley, and the keeper took her in willingly. Ezerella convinced Link that going out to the bazaar would not be a problem, as long as he acted like he'd always been there. The tribe was large enough for people to be unfamiliar.

But the oddest thing happened when the two of them decided to purchase a common Gerudo delicacy from a marketplace vendor. Ezerella had asked for some pastries, and the vendor replied, "How many dear?"

"Two, please," she replied.

"A mighty fine appetite," the vendor remarked somewhat rudely, providing Ezerella with two pastries. The two of them walked away, and although Ezerella was rather confused, Link made no comment on the situation.

The days continued this way, and Ezerella returned to her duty as a sentry. Link kept saying he couldn't stay long, but ended up setting up a small kiosk selling his personal carvings—masks, small statues, tools, anything anyone asked him for. The business was so great that he stayed for much longer than he had imagined.

He also became quite a display for the women. Being one of the only men in the whole city, many of them flocked to his tent merely to pass yearning glances and comment on his interesting clothes. Although he was quite the reserved gentleman, Ezerella caught him showing off on occasion.

Now that Link was becoming well-known to the Gerudo, problems arose when Ezerella found herself weak in the knees in his presence. She was of the lowest class in the tribe, thanks to her refusal to become a warrior. Low class women of the Gerudo were not allowed to choose men that the upper class women found interest in. It was a matter of blood—and the constantly looming possibility of the woman yielding a son. The last Gerudo king was nearly a century ago, which meant the birth of a son was in the near future. Any other time and Ezerella could have gotten away with courting Link, but with the possibility of a male Gerudo hanging over the tribe's shoulders, she would be sentenced to death if she birthed him.

Koume herself ventured from the confines of the Gerudo Palace one day in search of Link. She found him in his tent carving away at a mask with an interestingly-shaped blade. Ezerella was taking her midday break as a sentry and had come to visit him. As Koume neared them, the surrounding people began bowing their heads respectfully, causing Ezerella and Link to look up. "Stand," Ezerella whispered as she ducked her head. Link did so and bowed deeply at the waist, blue eyes resting on Koume.

The Gerudo princess was undoubtedly beautiful, and Ezerella felt her stomach churn. Her burgundy, wavy hair stopped at her shoulders, held back by a blue headband that dangled jewels in front of her golden eyes. Her tan-skinned face was partially concealed with a sheened veil of blue that connected to the headband above her slightly pointed ears. Robes of blue and black blanketed her shoulders, protecting her skin from the harsh rays of the sun.

"Link of the North?" she asked with a slightly lifted chin, eyes scrutinizing her guest.

Link straightened and nodded at the princess. "Your Highness," he said. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you."

Koume's gold eyes flashed with amusement. "I am at quite a loss," she muttered, voice like velvet. "Usually visitors come to me before setting up shop and making a life in my tribe." Her eyes flitted toward Ezerella for the briefest of moments.

"It is my fault, Princess," Link explained. "I should have come to you sooner."

Koume tilted her head to the side slightly, eyeing Link carefully. "I must say, normally my patience would be quite tested and I would dispose of you immediately." She smirked. "But your presence seems to delight my people." The women around them giggled girlishly and Ezerella felt her jaw set against the tension. "I must ask that you take to learning the ways of the Gerudo before furthering your stay."

Link nodded. "I have already learned much from my dear friend, Ezerella."

Ezerella felt her stomach lurch. It wasn't as if she'd done anything wrong, but now that Koume knew of their friendship she would stop at nothing to end it, even if it meant exiling the Gerudo.

Koume's cold eyes didn't leave Link's handsome face. "I assure you, you can learn much more from our more learned women."

Ezerella felt the warmth seep from her body, even in the intense desert heat. All eyes were between her and Link, and she wanted nothing more than to run and hide from their scrutinizing glares.

Link simply bowed his head in response, and Koume nodded satisfactorily. "I formally welcome you, Link of the North, into the Gerudo tribe," she announced. "Please make yourself at home." With that, the princess turned on her heel and returned to the palace.

The women slowly dispersed, still giggling and chattering about the occurrence. Link merely sat back down on the roll beneath the tent and returned to his carving.

"I should get back," Ezerella croaked, fastening her veil.

"She did not seem all that interested in you," Link said suddenly, examining an indentation on his mask.

Ezerella paused, looking down at him. "I'm not very significant in the eyes of the court."

"You are significant in the eyes of me," Link said softly, looking up at her with smiling eyes. Ezerella said nothing and left the bazaar toward her sentry tower.

Days passed and many women had professed their interest in Link. He always expressed how flattered he was but kindly turned them down, explaining that he was not there for such purposes. He was given his own quarters on the other side of the city in the upper class region, but he would often spend time with Ezerella in her small room by the hearth. Eventually she asked him a question she had been dreading and anticipating for weeks. She asked him where he'd come from.

"The north," said Link as if it was the only possible explanation.

"But where in the north?" Ezerella insisted. "The only further north you can be in Hyrule is the Goron City, and you don't look like a Goron to me."

Link smiled, tucking a lock of fiery red hair behind her ear. "I wish I could tell you," he said quietly. "I am not from Hyrule, but I am Hylian."

Ezerella was not content with his answer, but smiled. "Clearly you are not from Hyrule since you seemed to know nothing about the Gerudo before you arrived."

"But I know now," Link breathed, face inches from hers. "And I know that no matter what happens, no matter what the Gerudo princess does, I will always love you."

Ezerella wasn't entirely caught off guard by the words, but she did feel her heart leap at his proximity. "I love you too," she whispered distractedly.

The tension of wrongness hanging over their heads like a palpable viscosity, the two of them pressed onto Ezerella's bedroll. The Gerudo exclaimed many times that they shouldn't be together followed by a stream of kisses down Link's bare chest, but the strange Hylian paid no attention. He pressed against her hungrily, sweat rolling off their bodies and onto the matted floor. He tasted the salt on her skin and felt her lips on his, crying out to each other in pleasure. In that beautiful, frozen moment, Ezerella couldn't possibly begin to regret her actions. However the moment ended and reality swarmed her senses, and everything began to dawn on her. Suddenly regret ebbed the wonderful sensations until her heart was pounding from anxiety, not excitement.


	3. The Birth of a King Pt 3

**A/N: Zelda is copyright Nintendo. Enjoy!**

The joy that Ezerella had felt over those past months seemed to vanish in the blink of an eye when she discovered, with an intensity that never seemed to subside, that she was going crazy. The baby was certainly an indication of Link's presence in her life, but no explanation could be found as to why that mysterious man seemed to pass unnoticed in the eyes of the other Gerudo. Ezerella herself couldn't even place an exact memory of Link, but she still remembered the wonderful way he made her feel. She also found herself gazing downward at the massive lump of her belly, remembering that fateful night when Link simultaneously became Ezerella's world and vanished from it. It was only days afterward that she remembered a trace of his presence, as if she had been remembering a hazy dream, or something that happened too far in her past to fully recall. She had asked numerous people where that mysterious Hylian had gone to, but none could recollect a silver-haired traveler at all. It was as if the memory of Link's duration in Gerudo Valley remained only in Ezerella's faded retention.

Ezerella was beginning to doubt the Hylian ever existed, or maybe did only in her dreams, until she missed one of her moon days. At first she wrote it off as the stress of her job (although one could argue that her job was the most relaxing of the Gerudo posts) until she missed the next one as well. Panic settled in the pit of her stomach when the third one came around and still no blood. She spent the following days in a hazy stupor, going about her daily tasks with mechanic lethargy. The only explanation for such an event was this unknown Hylian character, who at this point in her memory was nameless. In a fit of panicked anxiety, Ezerella sought to speak to Princess Koume. Surely she would remember the passing of a traveler through Gerudo Valley.

She pleaded with the palace guards, saying that there was a shielded nomad wandering through the desert and that she needed to speak with Koume immediately. She entered the Gerudo headquarters, taking only the briefest of moments to admire the ornate relief work of the walls. Retired weapons, long spears with blades attached, curved swords, hung from the walls in crossed formation, below the red flag of the Gerudo military. In the center of a wooden floor was an elaborate chair, somewhat of a throne, where Koume sat and spoke to one of her personal guards.

Ezerella dropped down to one knee and dipped her head in a low bow. "Your Highness, I have urgent news for you," she said, praying to the goddesses that the princess couldn't detect the dread in her voice.

Koume waved a hand in dismissal to the guard, who left to return to her station outside the other door. Ezerella was thankful for the privacy. "Explain yourself," Koume said with a calm patience.

Ezerella straightened and stood before the princess with sweaty hands clenching the folds of her pant legs. "I actually have a question for you, my Lady."

A flicker of annoyance flashed across Koume's face. "Do you think I am here to answer every peasant's questions?" she said coolly.

"It's of the utmost importance, my Lady," Ezerella insisted. "Regarding a male visitor."

Koume shifted slightly in her chair as she considered Ezerella with a mixture of impatience and curiosity. "Well then, spit it out."

"You see, everything in my memory and in my common sense tells me that there was a visitor," Ezerella began. She told Koume of this nameless figure in her dreams that stayed with the Gerudo for months. "I was wondering if you by any chance remember a recent traveler come to stay with the Gerudo."

Koume's expression remained emotionless as she gazed at a point somewhere beyond Ezerella's form. "You have come," she finally murmured, "to inform me of a male presence in your dreams?"

Ezerella felt a pang of fear quicken her heartbeat. "Not at all," she said quickly. "I'm asking if this visitor was ever a real traveler come to the Gerudo Valley."

"If this visitor did indeed exist at some point," Koume said icily, "do you not think that _someone_ would have remembered him besides you?"

Ezerella had been hoping to avoid the subject, but she now realized that it was inevitable. "My Lady, you see, there _had_ to have been a male traveler in our midst," she pleaded.

"Why so?"

"How else would I have become pregnant?"

Koume sat straight immediately, stone-like face settling into an unyielding emotionless stare. Her fingers tightened around the scepter in her right hand, which she held erect throughout the whole conversation. "That is not possible."

Ezerella knew she was entering dangerous waters. "It's true," she said in a shaky voice. "I have already missed three moon days and feel a constant nausea in my stomach. If no such traveler ever existed, how has this come to be?"

Koume inhaled, once again gazing past Ezerella's pitiful form. "I do know what you wish of me."

Another pang of fear. "Your Highness, there has to be a reason for—"

"I would remember a male visitor within the past year," Koume interrupted, the unusual sound of anger building in her velvety voice. "Your becoming pregnant is clearly not an issue of my remembrance but your promiscuous lifestyle. Surely, three months ago, you left the city to join a trading caravan and somehow became involved with a man along the way. I certainly hope that this child will not exhibit any unusual traits for a Hylian, such as Zora flippers or Goron skin. And I certainly, above all else, hope for your sake that the child is indeed female. Now cease bothering me with your insignificant, inconvenient troubles and leave my presence."

Ezerella hadn't quite known until that point what it was like to feel hopeless. But as she left the palace, escorted by two higher guards, there was an almost pleasant sense of pointlessness about her. Her steps were buoyed by a carefree feeling that she would slip away into some unknown and never return. She obviously couldn't be sure that her child would be female, but she realized that even if it was, her life couldn't possibly get much worse.


	4. The Birth of a King Pt 4

**A/N: Getting into some real stuff. Zelda is copyright Nintendo. Enjoy!**

The stories of the birth of the next Gerudo king have varied throughout the ages, but there are certain truths that remain in each of them. For instance, it's true that Ezerella was forced to give birth by herself in her tiny little apartment, with only the warmth of the hearth to welcome her child into the world. She waited the first few hours of the child's life before checking its sex, enjoying the pure and unadulterated sensation of motherhood. The baby had dark skin like herself with a thick head of matted, red hair. The child looked like the spitting image of its mother, and even if Ezerella could begin to recall its father's looks, she was sure she wouldn't find many of his traits in the baby.

It is also true that when Ezerella eventually did take deep breaths to calm her nerves and check the baby's sex, she simply smiled. She had no idea how she would've reacted to a son beforehand, but when the baby's anatomy was revealed she, in hindsight, realized that it didn't matter. The child was hers, and even if Koume took it into her care, nothing could change the fact that Ezerella was the birth mother.

One version of the story claims that Ezerella threw her son into Koume's arms and pleaded for her life, but anyone knowing anything of Ezerella would argue otherwise. The truth is, the Gerudo sentry simply walked straight into Koume's quarters with the bundle in her arms. The guards, in a puzzled frenzy, didn't attempt to stop her but only followed her anxiously. Once in the princess' presence, Ezerella didn't stop or bow or even dip her head in acknowledgement. Instead she tightened her grasp around the bundle and announced very plainly that his name, after the once highly reverend God of the Gerudo, was Ganon.

After that is a general consensus that Ezerella made no attempt at escape or struggle. Koume ordered the guards to seize the baby and the mother, whom until the day she died could not remember the name of. The baby was taken to a hidden chamber and Ezerella was taken to an even more secretive place, a place that many of the Gerudo villagers considered to exist only in myths of their ancestors. And when Ezerella laid her eyes upon it, the Arbiter's Grounds, another smile played about her lips.

The Arbiter's Grounds, known to be a prison of the damned where the chained captives were dragged directly to the underworld via a magic mirror, was just as, maybe more ornate than the main Gerudo Palace. It seemed to exist in a realm of the in-between, only accessible during the twilight hours of the day. The spirits of those once chained within its walls lingered in the air, but Ezerella only smiled.

The final truth that resides in all of the stories is the one of Ezerella's last moments in the realm of the living. When the Gerudo guards chained her within the tomblike chambers, one heard her whisper into the fading light, "Goodbye, my love," before they departed. They recounted the sound of a Poe's laughter while crossing the desert back to the city.

Koume had been pacing her bedchamber back and forth, one hand covering her thin lips in a very pensive expression. Had it been exactly one hundred years since a Gerudo warrior gave birth to a son? Was this new boy, this Ganon, to be the next ruling King of the Gerudo? She had to act quickly, for her people still hadn't discovered the existence of a possible new king.

The princess was indeed torn. If this bastard of a child were to be the next king, she would be damned for the rest of eternity for getting rid of it. But to accept the fact that the lowest peasant within her walls was the birth mother was simply not something Koume could tolerate. And there was definitely no way she could convince her people that the baby was of her own descent.

Koume made a quick decision to bring the baby as far away from the valley as possible. If he were the true king, he would find his way back and claim the throne. But if he were simply another bastard child of some Hylian outside the desert, then he would be so for the rest of his life.

Nodding to herself on the plan, Koume turned and entered the room where the baby boy was crying. His pained expression hinted at a longing for his mother, and Koume looked down on him with something quite new in her heart: sympathy. She lifted the bundle to her chest, hushing at first with a sense of anxious urgency. But as the baby quieted, the hushing turned into a soft cooing and the princess lightly cradled the baby in her arms. "Little Ganon," she whispered on occasion, brushing a long finger against the boy's cheek. It became apparent to her in the following moments that she could not simply leave a baby Gerudo at someone's doorstep. No, this baby would remain with her.

Her first instinct was to rename him, give him a fully royal name and not the name of some dead, unknown deity. But Ganon had a strong sound, and she had already begun referring to him as "Little Ganon." So Koume remembered her mother's name, the princess before her, Dorfina. The name always sounded rather elegant to Koume, and she found the combination of strength and elegance quite appealing. A smile in her eyes, the princess whispered, "Little Ganondorf Dragmire," and brought the new king's forehead to her lips.


	5. The Birth of a King Pt 5

**A/N: Zelda is copyright Nintendo. :)**

No one really questioned the presence of a new royal son. Of course they speculated, but no one was about to doubt the legitimacy of this new king, the first in one hundred years. These kings brought a prosperous golden age to the Gerudo, so the villagers simply let his perplexing existence go.

Ganondorf participated in all the usual "heir" activities, save for the class on princess etiquette. He referred to Koume as his mother, even though for the first few years of his life he was fed by one of the nursemaids who had recently mothered her own child. Koume spoiled him with toys and Hylian delicacies in his childhood years and after some time truly felt a motherly love for the boy. His birth mother had been almost entirely forgotten.

When he was of age to begin his education, Ganondorf expressed a keen interest in sorcery. Koume had on many occasions found him attempting to manipulate one of his toys with no physical contact. However, she continued to deny his requests for magic lessons until she was satisfied he would succeed. But when the day came that he did, an inkling of unease settled in her stomach.

Ganondorf had been in the stables, since he had discovered in himself an affinity toward animals. He had taken a particular liking in one horse who not a single person could even recall obtaining. She was a beautiful mare with an ebony pelt and amber eyes, and no one claimed her as their own. Therefore the little king declared his ownership and no one protested, especially since there was something a little off about the horse. Ganondorf seemed to be the only one not put off by her strangely red-tinted eyes, so he seemed like a natural owner. He called her "horsey" until he saw the name "Wrana" carved into her saddle.

As his first successful attempt at magic, Ganondorf wanted to add some color to Wrana's static pelt. Koume, naturally, strongly advised him against it for fear of hurting the animal, so Ganondorf escaped into the stables when his mother thought he was at his writing lesson. After long attempts at color-producing spells he found in an old leather-bound book, he was close to giving up on his endeavor. Eager for one last hope, he leafed through the dry, yellowing pages until he came across a spell called "the Colors of Din." He barely skimmed the spell's description before turning to Wrana and chanting the ancient Hylian words. It had the word "colors" in it, so it had to produce some sort of new coloration.

But to Ganondorf's confusion, the horse let out a screech of pain and terror as its mane and tail lit fire. Her red eyes rolled as she bucked against her stall panels, whinnying for help. Ganondorf gazed at the book's pages for some sort of magical way to douse the fire, but in his frenzied page-turning he tore some of the yellow leaves and ruined the diagrams and phrases. It wasn't until he realized that Wrana had ceased whinnying that he looked up to find the fire gone, as well as the black hair of the horse's mane and tail. In their place were fibers of beautiful red and orange hair, the colors of a radiant fire.

Overjoyed at his horse's new coloration, Ganondorf forgot he was supposed to be at a writing lesson when he ran to tell his mother. Koume, although furious at his disobedience, went with him to the stables to see what he had done to the poor animal. But her anger was replaced with admiration when he saw Wrana's new vibrant colors. She then decided to grant Ganondorf his wish for magic lessons.

When Koume wrote to her sister, the best sorcerer in Hyrule, she expressed her concerns at Ganondorf's interest in magic. When Kotake arrived from her home somewhere in the forest, they locked themselves inside Koume's chamber to discuss.

"You realize this means he will have to choose between sorcery and leading the Gerudo," Koume said with a crestfallen tone.

Kotake, a slender woman with cold eyes, was exactly identical to Koume. The only differences rested in Kotake's sorcerer's garbs and a headdress with a large blue gem hanging over her forehead. "He is only a boy," she said, icy voice nonchalant. "When the time comes for him to make a decision, he will."

"You remember how it tore us apart," said Koume quietly, not looking at her sister. "Mother had to decide for us."

"That was only because we both wanted to become sorcerers and were both fit to rule," Kotake responded, standing before the princess as she sat on her bed. "If one of us had chosen another hobby, we wouldn't have…" The words drifted from her as she stared out the window, lost in a memory.

"But think," Koume pressed, "if Ganondorf chooses to lead the Gerudo, I can take to magic again." She stood, taking a step toward her sister. "We can become the Twinrova again."

Kotake let a sarcastic smile spread on her lips. "We've lost that connection, sister," she said wryly. "Even if you practiced sorcery once more, we could never be as we were in our younger years."

"Your faith in our power is astonishing," Koume confessed. "Our own mother said we would be Hyrule's destruction if we joined forces."

"And that was why she decreed that no leader should be able to practice sorcery," Kotake argued. "The two of us had too much anger in our hearts to be the Twinrova. If mother hadn't made you her successor, we'd have gone wild."

Koume followed her sister's gaze through the window. "At least let us teach my son the basics," she decided. "If he wants to learn sorcery, so be it. But I cannot teach him myself."

Kotake exhaled as she considered her sister's words. It had been so long since they'd talked this peacefully, so long since she had lived within the Gerudo walls. But seeing her sister again buoyed her decision and she smiled. "You most certainly can't," she laughed. "I was always the better sorcerer."

Koume laughed with her before adjusting her headdress. "Welcome home, sister."


	6. The Birth of a King Pt 6

**A/N: Such short installments. Zelda is copyright Nintendo.**

During her stay, all the resentment Kotake felt toward her sister vanished. She developed a liking for Ganondorf, even when Koume inevitably told her the truth about his birth. The boy admired her for teaching him magic, and they established a strong bond that Koume delighted in.

Koume also began participating in Kotake's magic lessons, just to see if she still had what it took to become a sorcerer. After a while she began practicing in her spare time the small spells that Ganondorf was learning, gradually building up to where she was before she gave up sorcery to become Princess of the Gerudo. Kotake did nothing to stop her, but she often reminded her sister of their mother's words.

Even so, after months of practice, Kotake came to her sister with what she claimed to be important news. The two escaped into Koume's chamber and sat on her bed.

"I've discovered a new spell," Kotake said in an excited, hushed voice.

"Speak up," said Koume, equally excited.

"It's called Flight of the Green Goddess," Kotake explained, pulling a slip of paper from the folds of her pants. "According to ancient sorcerers, if cast on an object, that object will possess the ability to fly."

Koume gazed down at the paper, a grin widening her face. "What do you propose?"

"If we cast the spell on each other, we should be able to fly, right?"

Without realizing Kotake's sincerity, Koume burst into laughter. "You cannot be serious," she gasped. "What good would flying do?"

"You mean to tell me you don't wish to soar above the clouds?" Kotake exclaimed, eyes wide with enthusiasm. "If we can fly, we'll surely be regarded as the most powerful sorcerers in the land."

Koume looked at her sister, smile fading in realization. "Sorcerer," she echoed distantly. "I am breaking mother's rules. I cannot learn this spell."

Kotake did her best to hide her disappointment. "I understand," she said quietly. "I shouldn't have pressured you, I'm sorry."

In the days to come, Ganondorf's magic abilities were growing exponentially. He could easily perform spells without reciting their chants; he could lift small objects to his hands without moving; he could recite words and watch as a feather pen transcribed them on a piece of parchment. He also took greatly to using his abilities to benefit his horse. He would spend afternoons in Wrana's stall, reading a book while brushes and clothes moved themselves across the horse's flanks, cleaning her fur to an iridescent sheen.

Many like to believe that the root of Ganondorf's desire for power began in his love for his horse. His wish to spoil her stemmed from his magic abilities and he asked Kotake if she knew a spell that could raise crops from the ground. Koume restricted her sister from teaching Ganondorf any nature manipulation spells, but the young king pleaded with his aunt. She made him promise only to use such magic to feed his horse, and nothing more. He agreed, and began learning the simplest of the earth manipulation spells.

Koume eventually found out about Ganondorf's endeavors and scolded Kotake for teaching him such dangerous magic.

"How is it dangerous?" Kotake argued. "He wants to grow carrots to feed his dear Wrana. That's a sign of benevolence if you ask me."

"Do you know what nature manipulation leads to?" Koume countered. "It leads to hurricanes and tornadoes every time he throws a temper tantrum!"

"You're being ridiculous," Kotake muttered.

"This is a very reasonable concern."

"I won't teach him anything else until he is old enough to know how to use magic wisely."

"And what then? What if Goron City does not agree with him on some term and he retaliates by erupting Death Mountain?"

"What if?" Kotake exclaimed, thrusting her arms into the air. "When he leads the Gerudo he can retaliate however he likes to a disputing province."

Koume felt a burning in her chest that she knew was getting dangerously hot. "Ganondorf will lead the Gerudo to a dark age if that happens."

"He will lead the Gerudo to power," Kotake corrected. "He will honor the Dragmire name."

Koume's hands clenched into fists as she felt her temperature rise. "I told you teach him the basics of sorcery."

"But he wants to learn more," Kotake responded, calm as ever. "He is your son, surely you want him to be happy."

Koume felt the rising fire in her chest cool. A sad smile replaced her guarded expression. "Wrana does make him happy, does she not?"

Kotake smiled too. "And when he's King of the Gerudo, he'll want what's best for his people, just as you do."

Koume nodded in understanding. "You were always the more insightful," she laughed more to herself. "Perhaps I should lift mother's rule on segregated leadership and sorcery."

Kotake shrugged in her usual nonchalance. "That's your choice, not mine. She did choose you as her successor."

"You know that is not my fault."

"Of course not," Kotake said with a smile. "But it also means that you can do whatever you like as Princess of the Gerudo."

Koume's eyes went to the sorcerer's headdress that she had uncovered from her closets the other day. If Ganondorf truly wanted to learn the ways of nature, perhaps it was in Gerudo Valley's best interest.


	7. The Birth of a King Pt 7

**A/N: Probably not my best-written, but important nonetheless. Maybe I can find a beta reader to help me out. Zelda is copyrighted to Nintendo. Enjoy!**

When Koume and Kotake were born, their mother Dorfina hadn't been expecting twins. In fact the doctors present upon their birth were completely dumbfounded at the presence of two children, since the current Gerudo princess had only boasted a belly large enough for one baby. What's more, there was no "older twin"—the two were born at exactly the same time. It was as if they suddenly decided to be two separate people upon being born. Dorfina had chosen the name Koumetake, but in the confusion of two girls, simply split the name into Koume and Kotake.

They both grew up with a strong tendency toward sorcery, but Dorfina had noticed notable differences in their personalities. In fact there were many times when they couldn't be more opposite. Koume would almost always react with a fiery rage upon not getting what she wanted, while Kotake would invariably give her mother the silent treatment with icy glare, then remain passive aggressive about the predicament. While Koume was very passionate about her likes and beliefs, Kotake was reserved and shy in most instances. It was as if they had to separate at birth due to their obvious personalities variances.

Yet Dorfina was so afraid of the mighty power the two possessed when they practiced magic together that she simply couldn't give them a joint rule over the Gerudo Valley. Giving them the decision of who became the next princess naturally split their tight connection, and as much as it pained Dorfina to see them fight, she was grateful. They had created for themselves a fun nickname, the Twinrova, and by all means they could not practice magic together ever again.

While Koume followed her mother's every word, Kotake became suspicious of Dorfina's constant attempts to break the sister's apart. In a rage at both her mother and twin, she left to practice sorcery elsewhere, breaking Koume's heart. As she studied sorcery and practiced her control over magic, she became known as the most powerful Gerudo sorcerer of all time.

Koume, although Kotake would never know, was forever envious of her sister's ability to freely participate in sorcery. Even in the days when her sister was teaching Ganondorf magic, she still had to remain on guard so that she didn't lose herself in the magic, as she had so many times before.

But as the months turned into years and the little bits of magic grew stale in Koume's eyes. She yearned for the more advanced spells Kotake had been saving for Ganondorf's adolescent years and was now beginning to teach him, and her thoughts even ventured as far as considering the Flight of the Green Goddess spell. She often sat in on Ganondorf's lessons and felt that burning deep in her chest, having to leave before she burst in an outrage of envy.

One evening, while Koume and Kotake were chatting idly before the hearth, Ganondorf burst in with a flurry of billowing cloak behind him.

"Whatever is the matter?" Koume demanded, rising to her feet. Kotake remained seated by the warmth of the fire, watching with concern.

"It's that blasted horse," Ganondorf said in angry dismay.

"What has she done now?"

"Her temper has exceeded anyone's toleration," Ganondorf growled. "She refused to let me ride today."

Koume looked away pensively. The horse was displaying similar changes in characteristics as Ganondorf. They were both becoming irritable and intolerant of anything they didn't like. It was a trait that was not only unbecoming of Ganondorf, but also one that struck fear in his mother's heart.

"Perhaps you need to let her rest," the princess ventured.

"Rest is for the weak," Ganondorf muttered, turning to leave.

"How are your spells coming along?" Kotake asked from the hearth, looking down at a book she had been leafing through.

Ganondorf stopped and cast his aunt a reproachful look. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm asking if you've been practicing," Kotake replied. "Give your horse a break and practice."

"I have been practicing," Ganondorf countered, eyes narrowed in anger. "I can prove it. Why don't you test me?"

Kotake let a small smirk darken her face as she flipped a page in her book. Koume felt a lingering tension wash over the room and took a step backward to sit on one of the cushions beside her.

Eventually Kotake placed her long finger along the name of a spell. "Why don't you give the Flight of the Green Goddess a try."

Koume's head shot up at her sister, then to her son. The boy made a face of puzzlement before demanding to read the spell. He cast the book aside as one of the palace maids who'd been cleaning in the washroom entered the chamber. Ganondorf's hands flew upward in a casting position as a pale green light rose two brooms from the maid's cart. She let out a scream and covered her mouth, unlearned in the arts of sorcery. After a moment, the brooms settled back into their place and Ganondorf relaxed his stance.

"Two flying brooms, no charge," he spat, and then flung his cloak over his shoulder and exited the room.

Koume looked at the maid. "You may leave the brooms and find more in the cellar," she said quietly, and the maid obeyed. Once she had gone, the princess looked at her sister. "He required no speech."

"He's becoming quite the strong young boy," responded Kotake, who retrieved the book with a wordless summoning spell.

"He is only sixteen years of age," Koume said, voice flat.

"It really is quite astonishing," Kotake murmured distractedly, looking at the book.

"Do you understand what this means?" Koume said, voice betraying a hint of anger as she stood and advanced toward her sister. "He has begun learning nature manipulation and his strong temper has proved damaging. It has come to my knowledge that he has been treating the Gerudo villagers poorly for no reason whatsoever, using his magic abilities to torment small animals, and people alike. Now that he requires no verbal aid to cast immensely powerful spells such as the one he just performed, his strength will rise with his temper and he will become ill fit for a king."

Kotake looked up at her sister, closing the book and placing it on the ground beside her. "Sister, his strength will be the marvel of everyone in Hyrule," she reminded. "Daltus will know if his power and welcome him into his courts and the Gerudo will flourish."

Koume's simmering blood began to calm. She recalled how little respect she received when traveling to Castle Town, when in the presence of the High King himself. She was merely the bitch of the Gerudo mutts, with no real power to warrant any reverence.

"Sister, you must revoke Mother's segregation of sorcery and leadership," Kotake insisted, rising to her feet to meet Koume at eye level. "Not for me—I have no resentments toward you for becoming the princess. You must do this for your son, who will surely be known as the greatest King of the Gerudo in all the land."

Koume nodded. It was time to leave aspects of the past behind. She and her sister journeyed to the courtroom of the palace where the head of the council sat, pouring over parchments of political language. She announced her decree, which the council woman finalized.

"Now," Kotake said once back in their chamber, "for those brooms…"


	8. The Seven Sages - Forest Pt 1

**A/N: Zelda is copyrighted to Nintendo, including these names and things:**

**Saria  
Mido  
Kokiri  
Deku  
The Great Deku Tree  
Deku Baba  
Picori**

Saria leaned over the small blossom with an inquisitive expression, releasing a slight "hmm" as the Kokiri villagers around her practically danced in anticipation of her diagnosis. The blossom was peeking out of a swaddle of green leaves, its tiny pink petals reaching out for the sunlight. It vaguely resembled a Deku flower, one of the cunning hiding places of western Deku tribe. But it had grown—seemingly overnight—in one of the meadows of Kokiri Forest, a mysterious maze-like ground known as the Lost Woods.

What puzzled the Kokiri the most was that the Lost Woods (and most of Kokiri Forest in general) was known for its extremely curious and perplexing trait: it was timeless. Once anyone stepped foot into the underbrush of the Kokiri's domain, his body clock ceased and all of time remained trapped in a halted state. It was incredibly bewildering to even the most renowned of Hyrule scholars, but nothing could be said for the forest's timeless existence. It just simply was how things were.

Of course, with a timeless bubble surrounding the Kokiri Forest and its inhabitants, this meant nothing ever grew, and nothing ever died of a life well-lived. It became a legend that a wandering sorceress entered the forest with her twelve children and cast a spell on it to prevent her children and herself from ever aging. The sorceress, however, longed for the luxuries of her home in the city and ventured out of the forest with her eldest child, a young girl named Kokiri. The girl died as soon as she left the forest, and the mother knew her spell had been much more powerful than she had anticipated. Angry with herself, she returned inside the forest only to find that her children had no longer recognized her, that time had moved too quickly outside of the forest. When the mother left again she died, and her remaining children called their home the Kokiri Forest after their deceased sister.

As with many legends, there were many twists and turns that didn't entirely make sense with Hyrule scholars. For instance, the Kokiri, although maintaining a child's height, did bear the appearance of a grown Hylian. They were strangely smaller people, and it is believed that they truly originated from the ancient Picori tribe, a race of miniscule people that could only ever been seen by obedient children.

The strange timelessness of the Kokiri Forest raised another question: how did they reproduce? Nothing ever grew within the forest boundaries, so it could only be that the Kokiri simply appeared as they were. Indeed, the Kokiri rise from Deku flowers when they're "born" and continue on as if they'd been there forever. Scholars believe that the venomous and carnivorous Deku Babas evolved from Deku tree seedlings, only placed in the forest to maintain the Kokiri population. The Kokiri refuse to believe such a theory, since they worship the Great Deku Tree and couldn't possibly believe their enemies spawned from its seeds.

So here lay the question that was puzzling Saria so greatly: what was this blossom doing here? The Kokiri had only ever seen blossoms in books and were told that the Great Deku Tree once bore beautiful blossoms during the spring. But once the seasons stopped and time seemed to slow down, blossoms never occurred anymore since the flowers never died.

"It appears to be a young flower," Saria mumbled, placing her hands on her hips.

A wave of anxious whispers flowed through the crowd surrounding her. They didn't know the deeper truth behind Saria's concern; the wise female Kokiri was the soothsayer of her people, and thus could speak with the Great Deku Tree in her dreams. It hadn't been too long ago (or so it felt) when the Great Deku Tree told her of a darkness overcoming all of Hyrule, and that when that darkness comes, the ageless forest will begin to die. It was a prophecy that had woken her in the middle of the night, body wracking with tremors that would not cease for several hours. She hadn't told anyone of the prophecy besides the village leader, Mido. He had agreed to keep the dream from his people until they truly needed to know.

"Now I don't want anyone to panic," Saria called, turning to face the huddle of people. Her short cut of green hair glinted in the dappled sunlight, the teal headband of a soothsayer marking her role of wisdom. "Listen to me. This blossom means nothing. I'd like you all to return to your daily business and not worry." She finished her speech with a warm smile, clasping her hands together. The Kokiri muttered their resigned acceptance and dispersed, returning to the village center.

From the disappearing crowd, Mido stepped forward and approached Saria with a solemn expression on his face. "Anything for learned ears to hear?" he asked quietly.

Saria looked up at him gravely. "We mustn't look into it," she said distractedly. Her mind's eye was filled with visions of the death of the Great Deku Tree. "Nothing is dying here—merely growing."

"But growth is accompanied by death," Mido reminded, jaw set. "Hyrule is in danger, and it is time to let the Kokiri know."

"Please, Mido," Saria pleaded. "If we tell them now, it will get their minds racing with fear. The forest has not even begun to die, so there must still be time. If there is a way to stop this, we should look into it before telling everyone."

Mido looked concerned, but eventually nodded. "All right. We will wait. But the first sign of one of our new flowers dying, we tell them."

Saria smiled sadly. "Thank you, Mido." She looked down at the blossom beneath her feet. It had grown so close to the ancient Forest Temple entrance, a place that had once born the Sacred Realm as the Temple of Time. It seemed so peculiar to her that a timeless forest be near the source of a temple that once held time within its walls.

"It will be all right, Saria," Mido said suddenly. It shocked Saria; he had so rarely shown any consolation or comfort. But he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and kissed her forehead. "You mustn't worry."

Saria closed her eyes, letting Mido's arms embrace her. "I hope you're right, my love," she whispered, then looked up to kiss him softly.

**A/N: I just want to make it clear that I don't support SariaxMido at all. It's just for conflict's sake. ;)**


End file.
